The voice of good men speaking up. This is really thought provoking about what being a man means. Written by a beautiful man and father – “A real man has empathy for others, feels his emotions, and wants to help others in trouble no matter what that trouble is. Real men look for ways to promote nonviolence and uplift all people. Real men look for solutions to the problems the world is having right now. Real men don’t bully, demean, or use violence; those things have never helped the world. Real men educate other men about respect, kindness and empathy. Remember, respect is treating others how THEY want to be treated, as long as it’s not violent. Real men stand up for what is right, even when everyone else is doing the wrong thing. Real men use their knowledge and their strength to help and assist women, not lead and control them. As we walked into the house I pondered the questions I still hadn’t answered. But you know, if all men stood up, spoke up, and began being a “real man” – I wonder if those questions wouldn’t become obsolete….I’d like to think so.”

My son came home and asked if I knew how to play football. Let me start out by saying, I don’t like football, I don’t play football, and I’m not too happy about the violence or view of masculinity that football promotes. But hey, this is a teachable moment and an opportunity to spend some quality time with my son – I was definitely not going to pass this up. In the middle of conversations about passing, fumbles, and touch downs I asked him why he had never told me he was interested in football before.

His answer shook me to the core: Because the other kids at P.E. said that I was a Faggot and an F-word idiot if I didn’t play football. They said I wasn’t a real boy and I should go play with the stupid girls because that’s…